The United States government on Wednesday halted all deportations to Haiti because of the earthquake there.

But the decision does not grant so-called “temporary protected status,” something that’s been applied to nationals from other countries in the wake of natural disasters. It went to Hondurans and Nicaraguans after Hurricane Mitch in 1999 and to Salvadorans after a series of earthquakes in 2001.

TPS for Haitians has been a top priority for South Florida advocates on behalf of the Haitian community in the U.S. for years.

TPS allows people to stay and work in the U.S. legally.

U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar, has been a leading advocate of TPS for Haitians, and is the sponsor of legislation to make it happen. He said there’s a double standard at work when the status is granted to people from other countries, but not Haitians.

He said the devastation from the earthquake is one more reason why TPS should be granted.

“This most most recent disaster emphasizes the vital need for Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals currently residing in the United States,” Hastings said.

“This tragedy sadly highlights the fragile state of Haiti’s physical and economic infrastructure, and the people of Haiti simply cannot afford to wait for the United States to grant them this long overdue assistance,” Hastings said in a statement. "By granting them TPS, Haitians currently in the United States would be able to legally work and contribute to their country's recovery. It is not only immoral, but irresponsible to continue to deny Haitians TPS.”

The three Republican members of Congress from South Florida – U.S. Reps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen – asked President Barack Obama to grant TPS for Haitian nationals currently in the U.S.

“We also respectfully request that you grant TPS to Haitian nationals in the United States. The combined destruction from today’s catastrophic earthquake and the previous storms clearly makes forced repatriation of Haitians hazardous to their safety at this time. We strongly believe that it is for such a situation that Congress created TPS,” the members of Congress wrote in a letter to the president.

TPS was not at the forefront of official action by the executive branch. “TPS is in the range of considerations we consider in a disaster, but our focus [at the Department of Homeland Security] remains on saving lives,” said Matt Chandler, deputy press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security.

He said he couldn’t amplify on whether that meant TPS because of the earthquake would be considered at some point.

U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, who represents the Little Haiti section of Miami and part of South Broward, said TPS isn’t the most urgent, immediate issue.

“It’s not Congress’ responsibility. It’s the executive branch that has the authority to do that. But right now I would say the focus right now, today – because no one is being deported right now as it relates to lack of temporary protected status – that we get to the recovery and search process now, being able to pull individuals out of the rubble and get them medical care. Temporary protected status is important. I think that’s maybe an issue for next week. But right now we have to get the emergency care there and get the resources on the ground,” Meek said Wednesday on MSNBC.

Later, in a conference call on Haiti with South Florida elected officials – which reporters were allowed to listen to – Meek said that even before the earthquake “Haiti hands down over-qualifies for TPS…. Today, I can’t put into words how much Haiti qualifies. But that’s not the argument for today. We’re trying to put resources on the ground.

“We’re going to deal with that issue. I don’t want you to feel that it’s not being addressed,” he said.

Chandler said the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is “continuing to monitor the situation.”

The United States government on Wednesday halted all deportations to Haiti because of the earthquake there.

Chandler said the decision was made by Janet Napolitano, secretary of Homeland Security, and John Morton, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Secretary.

Chandler said the government “halted all removals to Haiti for the time being in response to the devastation caused by yesterday’s earthquake.”

He said he wasn’t able to provide an estimate for how long the suspension of deportations would last.

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About the authors

Broward County is an unusually rich territory for political news. The Broward Politics blog is devoted to the politicians, the activists, the parties, the policies, the issues, the elections - in the county and its communities.

ANTHONY MAN is the Sun Sentinel’s political writer. Concentrating on local political people, parties and trends, he also covers state and national politics from a South Florida perspective. He's coordinating the Broward Politics blog with contributions from reporters throughout the county. Before moving to the Broward political beat, he covered politics and Palm Beach County government for the Sun-Sentinel, including touch-screen voting and the Supervisor of Elections Office. He's also covered municipal, county, state, and federal elections and made repeated reporting trips to Tallahassee for regular and special sessions of the Florida Legislature. He joined the Sun-Sentinel in 2002 after covering state and local politics in Illinois. Like so many others in South Florida, he's originally from a New York suburb (Rockland County).

BRITTANY WALLMAN covers Broward County and news. A 1991 University of Florida graduate, Wallman started her journalism career at the Fort Myers News Press. She and her husband Bob Norman have two young children -- Creed and Lily. Wallman was born in Iowa and spent half her childhood there, the remainder in Oklahoma. She has covered local government and elections her entire reporting career -- including covering the infamous 2000 recount here in the presidential election. (She has a Mason jar with a "hanging chad'' inside to prove it.)

LARRY BARSZEWSKI covers Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors. In the past, he has reported on Palm Beach County government and schools, aging and social issues, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach and state legislative sessions. He wrote for the Denver Post, Bradenton Herald and Miami Herald before joining the Sun Sentinel in 1988. A Massachusetts native, he lives in Boca Raton with his wife, Maggie, and teenage daughters Jessica and Jackie.